Summary based on the NamUs case record (MP144957)
On a winter day in January of 1952, a 27-year-old man named George Allen Simpson was co-piloting a cargo flight over the vast and rugged terrain of Alaska. He was last seen in the Juneau area on January 12th of that year, at the controls of a Douglas C-47 Skytrain, tail number N41748. The flight, operated by General Airways, was on its way from Portland, Oregon, to Anchorage, carrying a load of crated eggs.
The journey had been uneventful up to a stop in Annette, Alaska, where the plane was refueled. However, sometime after 11:47 AM, when the crew last reported their position, the aircraft vanished.
The plane, designated as Flight 785, had tragically crashed on the southeast slope of Mt. Crillon. An aerial search the following day, January 13th, located the wreckage of the downed Skytrain. Tragically, before any ground recovery efforts could be initiated, the crash site was obscured. By January 14th, it was reported that the wreckage was no longer visible, likely buried by a fresh avalanche or a new snowstorm that had moved through the mountainous region. The probable cause of the accident was later determined to be a deviation from the planned route due to improper navigation. The aircraft had struck the mountain at an altitude of 9,000 feet, approximately 30 miles off its intended course.
The remote and treacherous location of the crash, combined with the subsequent avalanche, made the recovery of the two crew members, Captain Burton L. McGuire and First Officer George A. Simpson, impossible at the time. George, a white male with brown hair and blue eyes, stood at 5 feet 10 inches and weighed around 145 pounds. He had distinctive freckles and two scars on his right shoulder. Despite the passage of many decades, his remains have never been recovered, and he remains one of the many souls lost to the unforgiving Alaskan wilderness. The case is a somber reminder of the perils of aviation in the state's challenging environment, officially classified as a suspected accident.Last Seen: Jan 12, 1952
